Katie and Elizabeth

Shortly after Elizabeth was matched with Katie her home residence became unstable. This meant a lot of bouncing around, a lot of uncertainty, and for a short time, living away from her mother. No doubt that this chaotic disruption was made a bit easier with a dedicated mentor like Katie. Katie found a way to track Elizabeth down each week and spend time with her consistently and never once complained about the extra work and travel. Katie knew that Elizabeth deserved someone to count on, and she was willing to be that person with a smile each week.  On their first meeting, they went to Jamba Juice for smoothies and just spent the time talking.  They said, “After that night, we knew we could tell each other anything.  Each week that we met, we explored new things and learned more about each other". One of their favorite activities was attending the County Fair.  

Elizabeth made Katie ride the Ring of Fire, which left them both laughing, but left Katie feeling slightly ill.  Another fun activity was going to the Flea Market in San Jose.  Katie tried mango con chile (spicy mango) for the first time, and Elizabeth taught Katie some Spanish.  They also had fun at the laser tag Friends for Youth group activity where they formed an alliance to try to beat out the competition!  “No matter what we did or where we went, we always enjoyed each others’ company". Elizabeth loves participating in Friends for Youth because she gets a chance to go outside and see the world more.  She believes that the program has helped her with her anger because Katie is always there for her to talk to. Katie has enjoyed participating in Friends for Youth because it gives her the opportunity to relax and put life in perspective.  She loves hanging out with Elizabeth, who can always make her laugh. “We had tons of fun together over the past year, and we look forward to hanging out in the years to come!  Thank you, Friends for Youth!”.